container
Americannoun
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an object used for or capable of holding, esp for transport or storage, such as a carton, box, etc
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a large cargo-carrying standard-sized container that can be loaded from one mode of transport to another
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( as modifier )
a container port
a container ship
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of container
1400–50 for an earlier sense; 1495–1505 container for def. 1; late Middle English conteiner; see contain, -er 1
Explanation
A container holds things inside it. Bags, boxes, buckets, and pockets are all containers. The purpose of a container is to carry, hold, or store something. You might buy nuts at the grocery store, then bring them home and put them in a container, or you could put your leftover pasta in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for tomorrow's lunch. The thing all containers have in common is that they contain, or hold, things. Both words are rooted in the Latin continere, "to hold together or enclose."
Vocabulary lists containing container
"Earth and Space"
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"Introduction to Homeland Security," Vocabulary from Chapter 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Maersk is reportedly planning a US$8.9 billion program for 42 liquefied natural gas dual field container ships, she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Maritime Trade Operations separately issued warnings Wednesday about two container ships struck by unidentified projectiles while traveling across the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Another Singapore-flagged container vessel, GFS Giselle, sustained hull damage after being hit by a projectile on Wednesday but was able to reach a safe anchorage with all 22 crew, it added.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Combined, the two ports handled around 31% of all international waterborne container trade in the U.S. in 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
"Didn't your mom say Nergal smuggled himself here? Easy to do in a shipping container."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
In other photos, dozens of containers and their contents could be seen floating in the water.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
“We open the containers, verify and see what merchandise has been switched out.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The port’s record September — totalling 1,042,652 containers — also represents the most volume ever moved through any port in the Western Hemisphere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
It is used in numerous everyday products, including food wrappers, storage containers, plastic packaging, and the linings of beverage cups.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
I zip my bagful of vials and sample containers closed and walk toward the shuttle.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
